


Unsaid

by tigerontheprowl



Series: Houses of sand, castles of glass. [1]
Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Canon Compliant, Character Study, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-13 04:28:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20168146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tigerontheprowl/pseuds/tigerontheprowl
Summary: Thomas and Edward discuss books and friends.Part one of a collection of shortfics and character studies, filling in the blanks of Thomas Barrow's life.





	Unsaid

**Author's Note:**

> Moved from my inactive Tumblr, abarrowfull. Will move the others soon and gather them all into a collection in preparation for movie fics. ;)

“You know of it?" 

It was with great difficulty that Thomas resisted the urge to get offended– he had told Edward (Lt. Courtenay, he reminded himself) what his work was before the war. It would make sense that he wouldn’t have time to build an extensive knowledge of long novels, so Edward’s surprise wasn’t uncalled for.

"I read it before I went to work at Downton,” Thomas explained, toying with his gloved hand. He was glad Edward couldn’t watch him fidget, and maybe that was a bad thing to be happy about, but there it was all the same. “A… friend of mine had a large library. He let me use it.”

“You seem very educated, why work in service?” Edward sounded legitimately puzzled. It was a question Thomas had asked himself many, many times.

“I know fancy books, I can dance in a ballroom, I can speak proper, but that’s where it ends,” he couldn’t help but wonder why Edward compelled him to speak the truth. “Besides, being a footman to the Earl of Grantham meant pretending you were upper-class. I got good at it– no one wants a stupid footman.”

“Indeed,” though it sounded more like Edward was thinking, rather than agreeing with Thomas. “Your friend must’ve taught you what you know, then?”

“Most of it. The reading, the dancing, and such.”

“It was almost like going to charm school, eh?”

That pulled a laugh out of Thomas at the thought. The posh young man he’d been close with before going to Downton had said things in the heat of the moment that would make even the most debauched sailor blush. “Something like that. Except–” He caught himself. “Ah, I taught myself, mostly. Picked things up here and there, just from knowing him.”

“You don’t know him anymore?”

“No, sir, I don’t.”

For some reason, that made Edward frown. Thomas regretted saying it, if only because he hated to see that expression on his face.

“Knowing him was nice while it lasted,” he offered, perhaps letting a little too much of the truth slip into his words. “I miss it, but I don’t cry about it.”

“I hope, one day, that you can know someone who can enrich your life once more,” Edward said sincerely, a small smile on his lips. Much better than the frown. “Knowledge is the most precious gift that can be given.”

That, for some reason, made Thomas pause. He swallowed a sudden lump in his throat, then said, “I’ve learned a lot from you." He almost forgot to add the "sir” at the end.

Edward just closed his eyes, letting his smile grow. “And I, from you.”

Thomas didn’t dare to hope that there was some other meaning in the words– that the lieutenant had not only caught his hints, but reciprocated. It was the sort of thing that happened to people who weren’t him. 

He just shook it off, tucked the wild fancies away, stood up and righted his uniform.

“I have to go,” he said, and he knew he wasn’t imagining the disappointment on Edward’s face now. "I’ll be back after luncheon, since you ought to walk,“ he added quickly.

"I don’t know if I’m up for it,” Edward sighed, but Thomas knew he’d be up for it when he came back. He always was.

**Author's Note:**

> https://abarrowfull.tumblr.com


End file.
